By Angel Yang and Mimi Yao

In early February, our students and staff geared up for an exciting spirit week. ACTICO, the host of the event, came up with themes for each day of the week. For example, dressing to impress on Monday, twinning with friends on Tuesday, and dressing up as Adam Sandler on Thursday. Adam Sandler Day, in particular, garnered a lot of student engagement in the form of group costumes. As expected of GenZ students, oversized jerseys and loose-fitting sportswear were easy finds for them. To put in simpler words—Adam Sandler Day gave students a legitimate reason to wear excessively comfy clothing to school. However, students also participated in other events by dressing up and going to the Commons at lunch to earn grade-level points. 

Spirit week, as well as multiple other events this semester, holds their own value—they were primarily student organized. For instance, the contributions of NHS members were crucial to the success of this year’s relay for life. In the face of challenges that led to the postponing of this fundraising event, students helped to reschedule and organize the logistics of the event to ensure its success. Earlier in the year, ACTICO also organized the first Field Day since pre-COVID. Teachers helped host a variety of activities and offered grade level points to teams that participated. Students who exhibited Eagle Code values (Respect, Engagement, Gratitude) were also awarded points for their behavior. The presence of such student organized activities significantly increased student-body involvement. In the case of Spirit Week, this phenomena can be explained by ACTICO’s enthusiasm for the event due to their immediate involvement. They then spread their joy on to friends and peers, thus promoting Spirit Week’s popularity among SAS’s high school community.

In terms of grade-level points, sophomores are currently in the lead while juniors are in last place, but students will have many opportunities to change their grade level rankings throughout the rest of the school year. Students can gain points by attending club-hosted activities, school games, and performances. Hopefully this friendly competition inspires students to support their peers and become increasingly engaged members of the school community.